Gareth Southgate has made two of his biggest decisions yet ahead of the Euros by cutting Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire from his final 26-man squad.
James Maddison, Curtis Jones, and Jarrell Quansah were all confirmed earlier on Thursday, but now Southgate has made the call to remove two of his most experienced players, as reported by The Athletic.
Maguire had been a doubt for the tournament after arriving at the camp with an injury, and it seems the defender won’t be fit in time to play in Germany. This will come as a significant blow for the Manchester United defender, who has been pivotal in Southgate’s plans since he became England boss and is one of the squad’s most seasoned members.
Grealish Unhappy with Performances
Grealish, meanwhile, is one of the more surprising names left out of the final squad. At Euro 2020, the Manchester City star was one of the standout players for the Three Lions and also impressed at the 2022 World Cup. However, injuries and a slump in form this season have ultimately not worked in his favor.
Speaking after Man City’s title win, Grealish admitted he hadn’t hit his best form. He told Sky Sports, “I don’t feel like I’ve performed well this season at all. I performed better this year than my first year. That first year I just wanted to win no matter what. Last year I played more, and this season has been stop-start. I played well at points.
“My standards are high, so I feel like I could’ve played more in some games. I wanted to play as much as I could, like last season. We have so many good players here, so it’s difficult. There’s no team in the world that rotates like this team does, but that’s the beauty of it.”
Southgate will submit his 26-man squad to UEFA by midnight on Friday before officially unveiling it on Saturday.
Credit: Joe
